Klay Thompson on JR Smith Play That Injured Him in Game 1: 'It Pissed Me Off'
As his status for Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals is unclear after he suffered an ankle injury in Game 1, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is still seething over the situation two days later.
Thompson was injured midway through the first quarter when Cleveland Cavaliers guard JR Smith slipped while going for the basketball and fell into his opponent's legs. While he doesn't believe the act was intentional, Thompson told reporters Saturday that watching the replay "pissed [him] off":
He went to the locker room following the collision but was able to return in time for the start of the second quarter.
The injury didn't appear to have much of an effect on the 6'7", 215-pound shooting guard when he returned to the court. He played 45 minutes in the Warriors' 124-114 overtime victory, scoring 24 points while shooting 8-of-16 from the floor and 5-of-10 from three-point range.
However, he may have been running on pure adrenaline Thursday night. Saturday, Thompson revealed to reporters, via The Athletic's Anthony Slater, that the pain has gotten worse since Game 1 ended:
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported that the Golden State star has a "high left ankle sprain and significant bruising in the ankle." But as the player himself noted, he is "planning on playing" in Sunday night's game.
As good as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green are, Thompson's value to the Warriors cannot be understated. He leads the team with a 43.2 percent clip from beyond the arc this postseason—and don't forget he is a valuable defender.
Golden State does not know if it will have either Thompson or Andre Iguodala (left lateral leg contusion) for Game 2. If Thompson does take the floor, it sounds like he will be playing with a chip on his shoulder.
